The Taste of Ink
by clockworkcaly
Summary: When Donna and The Doctor arrive at the library, the last thing they expect is for The Doctor to get sucked up into a giant hard drive. It's up to Donna to save him, with some tech support from inside the computer. Meanwhile, John Smith meets Oswin Oswald, a short, sassy, homeschool teacher who is always burning her soufflés.
1. Chapter 1: Ordinary Day

**Author's Note**: I want to thank my best friend for making me post this, and putting up with my many and sundry plot bunnies. I also want to thank anyone who gives this story a shot.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Doctor Who, though I have a couple t-shirts.

* * *

The TARDIS had decided not to go to the beach. Apparently the old girl was feeling bookish, for when the doors opened, The Doctor found himself in The Library. He took a deep breath of the smell of books, leather and paper and ink and _knowledge_, even as he explained where they were to Donna.

Of course, she had to ask why they were there. The sad truth was…"I don't know." He admitted to his ginger-haired companion. "The TARDIS just changed course."

Donna frowned. "We always end up running for our lives when that happens."

"Not always!" The Doctor said defensively. When she pinned him with a look, though, he sighed. One couldn't really argue with Donna-Looks. "But maybe once or twice."

The argument was defused when from somewhere among the monumental stacks, they heard a scream.

"That sounds like it's coming from the technology section!" The Doctor said, energized, as he ran down the stairs. "Come on, Donna!"

Donna sighed, rolling her eyes heavenward. "Why do we always run _toward_ the screaming?" Despite her words, though, she followed him, as she always did. She wouldn't trade this life for anything.

* * *

John Smith woke from the dream with a sigh. It was a dream, though it felt more like a memory. He rubbed his forehead and made a face, reaching for his journal as he wrote down what he remembered. He had an appointment with Doctor Moon today, after all.

The appointment with Doctor Moon was going well enough. They walked through the garden and talked about how well he had been integrating, and how little he flew off into fantasies. Well, when he wasn't dreaming. He was getting his feet back on the ground. He had been in this hospital since the accident that had caused him to lose most of his memories, and Doctor Moon had been helping him readjust to life as the man he was now. It was becoming almost routine, and he was starting to get restless. That was, before he saw her.

"Doctor Moon!" The young woman called, brown hair flying around her shoulders as she jogged up to them, her red high-top trainers sliding along the grass. "Hey, Doctor Moon!"

The two men stopped, letting her catch up with them, and despite himself, John found himself smiling widely at her. Doctor Moon seemed to like her too, as his voice went warmer. "Ah, Oswin. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

The girl gave them a bright smile, but her hands were on her slim hips, and there was a stubborn look in her eyes. "Aubrey wants cleared for the playroom, Doctor Moon."

Doctor Moon checked his watch. "I suppose I am running a bit late. Why don't you keep John company for me on the way back to the main building, Oswin, while I check on Aubrey for you." The man smiled at the two of them, and when Oswin had nodded her assent, headed back towards the building.

"Hey," John remarked, unsure of what to say to the short woman. "I'm John Smith, resident amnesiac."

The girl grinned back. "Oswin Oswald, homeschool teacher." She gestured towards the building. "I mostly work with sick kids who can't attend classes."

John smiled at that. It suited, somehow. "Aubrey one of your students?"

Oswin nodded. "She's seven, brain cancer." Despite her upbeat attitude, there was a sadness in her eyes as she thought about the little girl. "Amnesia, huh? I thought that only happened in movies."

"Car accident." John said, waving off the question with amusement. "Although if this were a movie, this would be the meetcute."

"If this were a movie, you'd be the hero in disguise." Oswin said, equally amused, falling into step with him as they strolled along the gardens of the hospital.

"That would make you the plucky heroine, wouldn't it?"

Oswin raised an eyebrow, but there was a half-smile on her face. "Not the damsel in distress?"

John scoffed. "No damsel in distress wears shoes like that, they're too good for running."

Oswin's smile broadened at that. "I think I like you, John Smith." She said thoughtfully, with a wave over her shoulder as she headed back towards the building. "You might be interesting to keep around, if a bit too tall."

Despite the insult, John laughed. "It's not my fault you're so short!" He felt like if she walked away, he might never see her again, like the holes in his memory, and yelled at her retreating back. "Dinner, Thursday? After my appointment with Doctor Moon?"

Clara laughed and gave a brief nod. "My place!" She called back. "I'll cook!"

* * *

Donna stared in horror at the node which had, for all intents and purposes, sucked The Doctor up like a hoover. Without really thinking about it, she picked up the screwdriver he had dropped and ran. She ran all the way back to where they had first looked over the library planet. Biographies, he had sworn.

Stupid, stupid spaceman! Only he would get eaten by a _library_. She steadied her hands on the banister in front of her and took a deep breath. Sure, she had been learning to fly the TARDIS, but she couldn't leave him behind, could she? "You daft Martian!"

She looked over at the computer console when it beeped and blinked. She blinked in turn, staring at the message on the screen in bright green letters.

HE'S STILL ALIVE

Donna went over to the console carefully, hitting it with the heel of her hand, and started typing. SuperTemp to the rescue. 'Can you read this?'

SOMETIMES

Donna blinked. 'What are you doing in there?'

MAKING A SOUFFLÉ.

Donna rolled her eyes at that, typing. 'How do I get him back?'

The answer took longer this time, but it appeared, just as Donna was about to smack it or bleep it. FIND THE MAIN HARD DRIVE. AVOID NODES.

Donna was about to type a response when the screen went dark. Apparently whoever was talking to her was done for now. She hit the console with the heel of her hand anyway, but at least she now had an idea of what to do.

Someone had to save The Doctor, and it was just going to have to be her.


	2. Chapter 2: Why Can't I?

John Smith was sitting on the comfortable chair in Doctor Moon's office, speaking excitedly. "And you see, we thought it was some strange planet in the dream, Barbara, Chesterton and I, but it wasn't, we only got shrunk. I actually had to crawl up a drainpipe. Imagine it!"

Doctor Moon smiled. "You certainly do have quite the imagination, John."

John frowned, his brows creasing. "But...it wasn't my imagination. It felt like...a memory. I remember all about the insecticide. It killed everything. DN6, it was. I remembered."

Doctor Moon just smiled beatifically, as if John had suggested he remembered going down to the shops for some tea. "Yes you did, John. And then you forgot."

John blinked for a moment, confused. "Sorry," he apologised, shaking his head. "What was I saying? This old head's a bit too full. Sometimes lose my place."

Doctor Moon leaned back in his chair. "It's quite all right. I believe you were saying something about dinner at Miss Oswald's tonight?"

John grinned at that. "Oh, yes." He said, happily. "I'm thinking of taking her flowers, but that might be a bit...I don't know...ordinary."

Doctor Moon laughed. "Now John, there's nothing wrong with ordinary."

* * *

Donna had never considered an empty library something particularly spooky, especially not after almost being sacrificed by insane fortune-tellers in Pompeii or faced with red-eyed slaves in the Ood-Sphere, but somehow, a completely silent library was creepy. It was made even creepier whenever she passed only slightly too close to a node, and they tried to draw her closer.

The nodes spoke in neutral, almost cheerful tones, like the welcome wagon. They would call her over with offers of 'help with the index' or 'a special message from the Head Librarian.' Even without the warning from the console in the biography section, she would have avoided the nodes. The realistic faces on the armless statues were simply too strange.

She held the sonic screwdriver out, gingerly, pressing the button to use the all-purpose tool as a flashlight. It was about the only thing she could do with it. Of course, the daft martian couldn't have an instruction manual like a normal person. That would be just too easy.

She was a little grateful though, that The Doctor wasn't present when a round wooden thing flew down, nudged her in the back, and then floated around to her front. Donna had let out a shriek, and really, how embarrassing was that? Shrieking at a daft ball.

Said daft ball opened what looked to be a camera lens, and a message scrolled along underneath, like a news ticker.

SORRY IF I FRIGHTENED YOU.

Donna frowned. "Course not. Just surprised me is all. Are you the same as in the console then?"

YEP.

Donna supposed talking to a floating ball was no stranger than a console, but somehow, typing felt less pathetic than talking to what seemed like a cannonball with an eye and a mind of it's own. "Are you the hard drive then?"

ME? NAH. JUST ANOTHER PERSON SUCKED UP BY THE NODES.

Donna considered that a good sign. If people could live in that computer for however long this person had been there, surely it would be long enough for her to get The Doctor out. It was just an overgrown computer, after all, and she could type a hundred words per minute without breaking a sweat. "So, which way am I going?"

THIS WAY.

The ball floated merrily along for awhile, weaving them away from any nodes, before it suddenly stopped, making Donna nearly trip over her feet. "Oi, what's the big idea?" Donna said, a little more churlishly than necessary.

SORRY, MUST DASH. TIME FOR DINNER.

Donna stared at the ball in something that was a cousin of shock and a half-brother of disgust. "Dinner? Are you bloody kidding me? Who thinks about dinner at a time like this?"

DON'T GET YOUR KNICKERS IN A TWIST. A GIRL'S GOT TO EAT. BESIDES, I HAVE A DATE. The eye winked, if a lens could be said to wink. And then, as if it was the most normal thing in the world, the eye shuttered closed, the ticker screen went black, the ball dropped to the ground.

Donna let out a stream of unflattering comments, and, when that was unsuccessful, used her well-exercised legs in a kick that sent the odd ball flying in a way that would have made West Ham proud.

* * *

Oswin closed her laptop with a click, moving it off the spattered counter as there was a knock on her door. She called out, "Just a sec!" as she hurriedly ripped off her apron and tossed it into a cabinet, and brushed flour off her dress. She moved to the door, and opened it with a smile. "John, so glad you could come."

John Smith smiled at her, and held out a bouquet of red flowers, not roses, too ordinary to bring roses. No, this was an assortment of flowers, each different from the other, except for the colour. "I wouldn't have missed this for anything."

Oswin took the flowers with a smile, a bit pink. "They're lovely. I made dinner. I hope you like Italian."

"Not as lovely as you" John replied, taking a random flower from the bouquet and tucking it behind her ear. "I love Italian." He didn't really know. While the hospital was posh and private, the food still left something to be desired, but he was sure anything homemade would be an improvement. "I'm sure you're a fantastic cook."

Oswin giggled a little, putting the remaining flowers in a vase, and replacing her cornucopia centerpiece with the vase. "You say that now. I did try and make you a soufflè, but it was too beautiful to live."

John shook his head in reply. "Perhaps it didn't want to insult the hostess." They sat down, and the time seemed to fly. Later, John would think back, wondering how they had reached the end of the night, recalling long talks that seemed to pass all too quickly, and yet, already it was time for goodnight. He tood awkwardly at the door, trying to extend it a little bit longer."I know it must look odd, you being seen from someone from the hospital." John said, a little thoughtfully. "But I'm getting out next week. Doctor Moon says I'm almost fully integrated."

Oswin gave him a dimpled smile. "You'll have to come up and see me sometime."

John smiled slightly, his eyes lighting up like a child at Christmas. "I definitely will."


	3. Chapter 3: Disturbia

**Author's Note:** I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to give this story a chance, especially those who read, reviewed, or followed. You guys are great!

* * *

John Smith blinked to himself, stopping. He could remember turning away as the door closed, smiling to himself, but...now he was standing in a book shop. His and was on a volume of Dickens, a copy of _The Mystery of Edwin Drood_. He blinked in surprise, and turned to see Doctor Moon at the counter. "Oh, Doctor Moon." He said pleasantly. "What was I saying?"

Doctor Moon, ever patient, placed his hands on the worn wooden counter. "You were saying something about the importance of books in the technology age?" He prompted. "Why you decided to start this shop?"

"Yes!" John said excitedly, as if he had his own private eureka moment. "Books. People never really stop loving books. We have eBooks and e-readers and smartphones, but the smell of books, Doctor Moon! The taste of ink, the feel of new bindings and smooth paper under your fingers, people will never get tired of it." He waved a hand, holding out the copy of Edwin Drood to his long-suffering physician. "Not even, in, I don't know, the fifty-first century!"

Doctor Moon look startled, almost ruffled for a moment, before his usual even expression conquered whatever that was. It happened so fast that John didn't even had a chance to open his mouth before the expression was gone. Instead, the doctor took the book from John's hand and smiled. "Thank you, John. I'm sure I'll enjoy it. How are things going with Miss Oswald? You've been seeing quite a bit of each other, haven't you?"

John seemed to be a bit embarrassed, turning back to his books. "Yes...rather. Well, it's just...she's rather...brilliant."

Doctor Moon chuckled. "There's no need to be embarrassed with me John. Remember, we have talked about a great many things."

John paused for a moment, and then shook himself slightly. "Of course, Doctor Moon. Forgive me. It's just...it sometimes feels as though I've known her forever, and sometimes as if I've known her no time at all."

"Time is relative, John." Doctor Moon reminded him.

Suddenly animated, John turned back, excited by the statement. "Actually, Doctor Moon, Einstein's theory…"

"John." Doctor Moon interrupted, and as if scolded, John sighed and leaned back on a bookcase. "John, I know you feel as though you've lost everything with your memory, but isolating yourself and avoiding real relationships with people outside of your dreams, people in this world is only going to hamper your integration into society."

John heaved a sigh. "You're right, Doctor Moon." He looked pensive. "Maybe I should invite Oswin over tonight."

"That sounds like a conscious decision to stop punishing yourself for the accident." Doctor Moon replied, clasping his hand on John's shoulder. "I should get going. Mrs. Angelo has invited me over."

"Watch out for her rhubarb surprise!" John called in warning as his friend and doctor left, feeling better for the conversation. Inviting Oswin over to see his new shop seemed like a very good idea indeed, and then who knew what might be next?

* * *

Donna had stopped muttering under her breath, but that didn't ease the feeling in her gut. She half-wished the floating ball would reappear as it started to get darker inside the library. She knew the thing was the size of a world - who knew how far away the main hard drive was? It could take days! "Bloody spaceman better appreciate this." Donna muttered under her breath as floorboards creaked under her feet and the moon rose higher in the sky.

The unsettling feeling of being followed crashed over her head when she heard a voice. "_Donna!_"

Donna stopped, her jaw gone slack with shock. "Doctor?" She called out, voice a bit strained.

"Donna!" The Doctor's voice came again, sounding a little closer. "Over here!"

Forgetting everything else, Donna started running. "Oi, when I get my hands on you, you stupid skinny…" She cut herself off when she saw a node, almost right in front of her. She took several large steps back as the rotating marble head turned, revealing the Doctor's face. The lips on the face opened again. "Come on, Donna!" The words sounded fake now, meant to draw her in. "Oh, Donna Noble, you are _brilliant!_"

Donna had to blink to keep from tearing up. She forced herself to turn back, and ran in the opposite directions, looking for a console, computer or the floating ball. Upon finding a console like the one in the biography section, she started pounding on the keys, looking for a power button, anything she could do to raise her computerized helper. "Come on! What could be more important than this?"

* * *

Oswin entered the the shop, slowly, amused. She took in the smells, her eyes covered by John's large hands. She hadn't anticipated quite how excited he could be by simple things like showing her his shop.

"Okay, now!" John declared, uncovering her eyes and moving in front of her, gesturing to the space, crammed with squashy, comfy chairs. "Well, what do you think?"

Oswin glanced around, taking in bits of blue walls and carpet, the large wooden bookshelves and glass cases. "I don't know how much business you'll get." She said, but quickly continued when he turned sad eyes on her. "But I think it's lovely."

Encouraged, John reached for her hand, and brought it to her lips. "I hoped you'd like it."

Oswin giggled a little despite herself, surprised by the chivalrous move, flushing pink, "Of course I like it."

John, still holding her hand, reached into his pocket. He withdrew a silver key, and pressed it into her palm, looking straight into her brown eyes. "I have a flat above the shop." He said slowly. "Stay with me, Oswin."

Oswin felt her throat close over as her fingers curled around the cool metal. "Why me?"

John smiled slightly. "Because you listen to opera to stop thinking, because even though you've never made a soufflé without burning it - you keep trying. Because you're not a damsel in distress waiting for someone to save you, because you don't let me get away with anything. Because you're Oswin."

He kissed her, and Oswin suddenly felt as though she was flying. It was a silly, fairy-tale feeling, all fireworks and leg-pops and even with everything he said, she had to be sure. She pulled back after a moment, breathing hard. "I'll let you know tomorrow." She knew there was vulnerability in her eyes, and she reached down deep and pulled herself up by the bootstraps again, with a flirtatious smile. "And I'm keeping the key."


	4. Chapter 4: Toreador Song

**Author's Note:** Thanks to everyone who read, followed, and especially reviewed. I'm glad people are enjoying this story. :)

* * *

Oswin Oswald was a genius. It was one of the only reasons that she could still see what was going on inside the digital world in which she was caught. She knew lots of things, That didn't always make decisions easier. Dropping her jacket onto a chair in her flat, turned on Bizet and opened her laptop with a sigh.

Before long she had hacked into a subroutine in the mainframe, and saw Donna in a corner of her screen, pounding away furiously at a librarian's computer. She bit her lip nervously, and hacked the communications with ease, watching the relief on the redhead's face as the screen in front of her flared to life. 'Did something happen?'

Quickly, almost too quickly, a response came. 'Where were you? I nearly got tricked by one of those nodes! It had The Doctor's face on it!'

Oswin didn't need to look at the picture to hear the accusation in that, and it made the knot building in her stomach clench tighter. 'He's integrating faster than I anticipated.' Oswin typed, knowing that it was, in part, her fault. 'We may have to abandon the idea of saving everyone stuck in here and just get him out.'

The next reply appeared slowly, one letter at a time. 'How many people are in there?'

Oswin shook her head violently, despite the fact that the other woman couldn't see it. 'It doesn't matter. If the thing controlling the library integrates him fully far more lives could be lost in the long run.' She paused slightly. 'Head towards The Shop, but find somewhere away from nodes to camp for the night.'

'Camp?!' Came the reply. 'In a library trying to eat me?"

Oswin shrugged. 'Could be worse. Goodnight.' She watched as the redhead read her message and stomped off with a grumble, before closing her laptop. She leaned back into her seat and closed her eyes. Would it be so horrible of her, just to say yes? She knew she shouldn't, it would be another step towards integration, and she was fighting that for both of them...but she knew how this place worked. It was like a dream, and if you wanted something enough, the moment you let your guard down…

She sighed slightly, listening to the aria and translating softly. "_And dream away, yes dream in combat,/That a black eye is watching you/And may love await you,/Toreador..."_

* * *

The anachronistic man was in Doctor Moon's office attempting not to pace and failing, despite his stony demeanour. "I don't like it! I should have just deleted his data the moment he was pulled in!"

Doctor Moon was, as usual, unbothered. "Really, sir. You have gotten hardly any visitors to the library since the last pruning. You've been saying we need more minds, and this is the first time we've had someone who is compatible to Oswin." He inspected his nails, as if bored. "The genius and imagination from those two could feed you for quite awhile."

"Yes!" The man declared angrily. "If he integrates, it would make the victory all the more sweet, but that man has foiled me at every turn. Can you protect me from him?"

Doctor Moon smiled magnanimously. "I can protect the hard drive from anything. It is my job, after all."

"See that you do, or I will blow you out of the sky." The man threatened, leaving the office with a whirl of a cloak.

"Of course sir." Doctor Moon replied, even as the door banged shut. He moved over to a television and sighed. Plans would have to move ahead slightly. He hated to rush integration, data was sometime misplaced, deleted or ignored, but he had no choice. He had to obey his prime directive. He had to protect the hard drive. No matter what.

* * *

John Smith opened his eyes to the sound of birdsong mixed with Saint-Saëns, and had to take a moment to figure out where he was. His dream was more vivid than usual, He was fighting some ancient evil with a brash young woman who carried explosives in her backpack. Beyond the vividness of the dream, however, there was a disconcerting feeling that he was not where he had been a few moments ago.

Speaking to himself, he mused slowly, as Professor Moon had always suggested: "I showed Oswin the shop and invited her to stay with me. She said to ask again tomorrow...I did...she moved in after Aubrey died...then after a year I proposed and we got married…" Somehow, the words and memories didn't ring true.

He rolled out of bed, noting that the open closet held clothes that undeniably belonged to a woman, and there was a picture of a couple he didn't recognise on the nightstand to the right side. As he got dressed, he noted the gold ring around his finger and couldn't deny the evidence in front of him. "Well…" he said, drawing out the word, entirely unsure of what to think now."Married, never thought I'd do that again."

Startled by everything else, he never even realised the fact that he had said 'again.' Despite the weekday, he looked down and found himself in a suit, and shrugging, not particularly wanting to change, just threw on a pair of trainers, and decided to see what Oswin was doing.

* * *

Oswin had expected some shift when she woke up, but not quite this far. It felt forced, and she suspected Doctor Moon was pushing them, in that strange, controlling way he had. She had avoided his radar by and large, too good at her job, Now, though, especially with what Donna said, it seemed like he was pushing she and John together. Whether she liked it or not, it was time to get him out of here. It wasn't so bad in the computer, after all. There were worse fates.

So, she put on her most flirtatious smile as John came down the stairs, and it wasn't all that hard. "Nice suit, Mr. Smith." She said teasingly, but he should know from her smile and the way she checked him out that it was appreciative none the less.. She looked away slightly, feeling bad for what she was going to do, even if she kept reminding herself that this wasn't real, none of it was real. "I was wondering if you would come to work with me today. One of the kids has lapsed into a coma...I could use the moral support." It was true, of course. She tried to avoid lying to him as much as possible, and if she was honest, she could use the support. That didn't mean she wasn't sharing the burden that only she saw in order to save him, even though saving him meant saying goodbye.

"Well…" John said slowly. "I have a shipment coming to the shop, but it won't hurt to delay it."

"Thank you." Oswin said, handing him some tea and giving him a dimpled smile. "I'd say you're the best, but I don't want it going to your head."


	5. Chapter 5: Second Hand Faith

**Author's Note**: Again, thanks to everyone who has been following (etc) this story! You really make my day. I feel as though I should apologise for this chapter. It's a bit longer than usual.

* * *

John had never been to the pediatric wing, despite spending months at the private hospital. It was, at face value, exactly like one would expect. The walls were covered with bright murals of smiling fish and exotic jungles with friendly monkeys holding bananas. The plasticated chairs were all in cheerful primary colours, and the rooms were filled with toys and drawings, but there was something false about it. Unlike where he had been, there was no feeling of hope. This ward which should be the most hopeful was, instead, the least.

He took Oswin's hand, entwining their fingers, as he saw her usual vivaciousness suddenly hampered by something else along with a sorrow so deep it surprised him. He couldn't question her, ask why she came back when it hurt her so badly, because he already knew. He knew how much each and every one of her students meant to her. He couldn't ask her to give it up. All he could do was support her. He watched out of the corner of his eyes as she took a deep breath and set her shoulders, doing what needed to be done, yet again. It was a quiet strength, one that pushed back how she must be feeling in order to help others. He could understand. He knew how that felt. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew.

The room they entered was quiet, the only noises the soft whir of ventilators and clicking of vital sign readers. In each of the two dozen beds lay a child, unconscious. The sight was staggering. John, unable to help himself, released her hand, and moved up and down the aisle, reaching into his jacket for...something and starting in surprise when he found it empty. Rather than dwell on it, he turned to Oswin instead, moving around each of the beds. "What's wrong with them?"

"Brain cancer." Oswin said sadly, watching his brain work, and despite herself, felt a small surge of hope that he could find a way to fix this.

"All of them?" John said in shock. He had known Aubrey died of brain cancer, but this was more like an epidemic, something contagious. "The odds of that…"

"Astronomical, I know." Oswin replied, sitting down next to the last bed, the one by the window, holding a young boy, ten at the latest. "It happens to all the children born here. When they get to a certain point, Doctor Moon puts them into a coma so they don't suffer. They just...dream." She touched the boy's hair with a sigh. "Bradley lasted longer than most." Every time Oswin reminded herself not to get attached and every time she failed.

John didn't know what to say, so instead, he started going through the charts of the children, keeping an eye and an ear on his wife, just in case she needed him.

Oswin forced herself not to look at John as she began to speak, her voice falling into her storytelling cadence. "Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a little girl who fell very sick. She was the youngest child, and loved very much by her father and brothers. They were very rich and tried everything they could to cure her. One day, coughing and tired of all the hospitals and doctors, the little girl asked her father for a gift. The father swore he would get his little girl anything she wanted, but she had only one request: a book."

Oswin smiled to herself as she imagined Bradley strenuously protesting that it was a stupid thing to ask for. He had always hated to read. So, she had told him stories instead. "The little girl loved to read, to lose herself in the stories inside the books, and she would cry when she was finished, for each time it was like she had lost a good friend, the story was over until she visited again. So, the father ordered his people to go far and wide, collecting all the different books of all the different people in the universe. He collected stories first written in starlight, stories once carved in stone, books written on paper so thin that it would tear if touched roughly, all the books he could find."

Oswin paused, feeling rather than hearing John move to a place behind her, and her voice broke slightly, so she leaned her head against him, without looking. The hands he placed on her shoulders steadied her and reminded her why she was doing this. It was more than just for Bradley. "By the time he had done it, however, his daughter fell even more ill, and all the doctors said she would never wake. The father, distraught, didn't want to live in a universe without his little girl, who had been so kind and sweet, even at the end. He took all the books and created a planet for them, with a giant hard drive at it's centre. He placed his little girl's sleeping mind into the computer as the main command node, giving her a million million books in which to adventure, a billion stories to explore, trillions of friends to make, and loving family to dream about. He gave her forever." Oswin thought of Mr. Fraser, who had forgotten that Bradley had ever existed, and clung a little tighter to his small, pale hand. "And then, to share her joy, he opened her library to everyone and anyone, that they might bring new stories and create their own."

Oswin closed her eyes as John's hands tightened on her shoulders. He recognised something in the story, the description of the library most likely. She just hoped that he wouldn't hate her at the end of the story.

* * *

John felt a strange sense of familiarity in the story. It sounded not unlike one of his dreams, when he had been exploring with the woman in the wedding dress. How could she know? John had never told Oswin of his dreams, Doctor Moon had suggested that it would make her jealous to know he dreamed of so many women, even if they weren't real. He had also suggested that it might make her feel as though she might run away if adventure called. The dreams were a barrier to integrating in society. Despite himself, though, he found himself listening to the story a bit closer.

"A Great Intelligence, came to the library, all mind and no body, and he saw knowledge in the library. Knowledge he didn't have, and power too. So, like a thief in the night, he slid into the computer, slowly taking it over, forcing the little girl into deeper sleep, while he took over her world. He devoured all the knowledge the library had, and still wanted more, like a child with too much candy. Soon, he discovered a way to pull people into the computer with him, and he began to drain on their fear and pain, before he realised that people who dreamed, who hoped, who imagined, gave him much more power than the minds who were scared and confused. So, this Intelligence began to make people happy, give them the lives they wanted, and drained their hopes and dreams instead. Then, when families began to have children in his strange, digital world, he discovered the potential and imagination inside every child, and how they could make him more powerful." Oswin tapped Bradley's nose, as if hearing a response, and it broke John's heart a little. "Yes, even you."

John paused, releasing Oswin's shoulders and beginning to pace without thinking about it. The whole story struck some small memory somewhere, and he was so busy trying to recall it that it took him a moment to hear the next words, and it was a good thing he wasn't any closer, because he might have frightened her, with how his hands clenched.

"One day, out of nowhere, the Intelligence's great enemy arrived at the library. He arrived with the whirring and grinding of his great ship, which sailed on the winds of time and the power of a star all it's own."

John stopped, stock-still, staring at Oswin as she spoke, but not really seeing her. Instead, he was seeing the box in all his dreams, ancient and brand new, large and small, and the bluest blue in the world. How could she possibly know?

Oswin continued, apparently oblivious to his plight. "This great man was a doctor, and he had healed many people, saved whole worlds, and made people believe in themselves. The Doctor, however, was old, the last of his kind, and lonely even when surrounded by the people who loved him. He had been running for a very long time, and lost all faith in himself and the promise he had made himself. He was was tired of fighting and feeling as though he was fighting the tide, his well of hope nearly run dry. So the Intelligence scooped him up and buried him into the dream world, where The Doctor could have peace, rest and things he had buried down so deep that he couldn't even dare to hope for them."

John for all his long limbs, had sunk to the floor like a child, sitting with his legs tucked beneath him, and staring at Oswin's face as she told her story. If he didn't know her as well as he did he wouldn't have noticed the way her eyes were shining in tears, because she didn't let it enter her voice.

"This Doctor, however, still had his best friend outside the computer, in the library, all ginger hair and attitude searching for a way to bring him back, to rescue him from the computer, and inside the Intelligence's digital world, he met a plucky heroine, who had faith in him even when he had not faith in himself, or his future, when he had met old gods and false gods and seen things that would make other's run and hide. When he had no faith in himself she gave him hers, and told him to run, as he once had."

* * *

Oswin stopped her story, looking down at Bradley, and tucking him in a bit tighter, simply because she couldn't bear to look at John. After a moment, she took a deep breath, and risked a glance. What she saw there nearly stopped what passed for a heart from beating. His eyes were blazing at her, and she couldn't tell what he was thinking. She let out a squeak as he pulled her into a deep kiss, another one of those kisses that melted her usually sassy brain into a pile of mush.

"How's the story end?" He growled, actually, _growled_ and she hadn't known he was capable of that sound, or the heat in it.

She wanted to have some clever answer, but she didn't. "Don't know." She said after a moment. "It's not over yet."


	6. Chapter 6: Sur le Fil

**AN: **I'm sorry this took me so long to get out today! I shall do better tomorrow. In penance I give you Donna and Oswin being badass.

* * *

Donna had been fighting with herself ever since she had camped out in the middle of her favourite section. Surrounded by her guilty pleasure chick lit, tucked into a corner against a wall she couldn't escape the idea that she was alone in a library that wanted to kill her. More than that, however, she was stuck on what the person inside the computer had said.

Could she walk away from this place leaving others stuck in the computer? Her helper had sworn that it was necessary to get The Doctor out, and Donna didn't doubt that. It was the idea of leaving other people, including a person who was trying her best to help her, even if it was in between dates and making desserts, in that place. She wanted out of this place, but how could she, the woman who had insisted The Doctor save people during a fixed point, how could she, Donna Noble, just walk away?

She looked up at the moon in the sky and came to an answer. The simple fact was, she couldn't. Even if it killed her, she was going to get everyone, not just The Doctor, out of here.

* * *

After returning from the hospital, John had locked himself in their room, either to sleep or to pore over his journal, where he had apparently been storing all his dreams of The Doctor. Had Oswin known that before, it would have made life a whole lot easier. She might have been slightly annoyed about it, had she not been keeping the exact same secret from him. John hiding in his room, however, gave her a chance to check on Donna and help her from the inside of the computer.

She took control of the camera again, noting that it had been dented, and then bobbed about, looking for some sign of the redheaded companion. She traced the most winding path she could find to the shop, with no sign of the woman, and then every other route she could come up with, before throwing up her hands and heading back to the way to the main hard drive elevator. She found Donna halfway to the elevator, and cursed. The little ball let out a bleeping noise. 'YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO GO TO THE SHOP!'

* * *

Donna looked at the ball in relief. "There you are!" She said, hands on her hips. "I've been looking for you! How do I find the hard drive?"

The ball bleeped again, and Donna got the distinct feeling the girl behind it was cursing at her. The scrolling, however, showed no sign of it. 'WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS, DONNA!'

Donna stopped, glaring at the ball. "I am not about to let however many people are stuck in that computer stay stuck in there! It's not right. You're still people."

The ball paused, bobbing cautiously. Slowly, a new message appeared. 'WHAT IF IT'S JUST ME?'

Donna put her hands on her hips. "We both know it's not, and it wouldn't matter if it was. You're the one on about how little time we have, so don't you think we ought to focus on getting this done?" If Donna didn't know better, she would have said that the ball was amused.

'I SEE WHY HE LIKES YOU.' Without any more argument the ball started to lead the way toward the gravity lift to the main data core.

It was all going swimmingly, perhaps a bit too easy, because near one of the junctions, Donna got too close to a node, who spun around, revealing The Doctor's face.

"You will be integrated. Allons-y!" Said the node.

Donna took a few steps back. "Person! Ball! Thing! I could use some help here!"

* * *

Oswin had a moment of shock when what she was seeing sunk in, before she started typing furiously. "Hold on, Donna, hold on, I'm trying a thing." Donna couldn't hear her, of course, but she couldn't just not answer the cry for help. She hit a few more keys and when she couldn't seem to bypass the node, she had to go for broke. She had to do the thing she swore she would never do, not only that, but she actually actively made it happen. She took over the node.

The stuff she was talking through felt stiff and unnatural, but that might have been because she had to force the facsimile of The Doctor away. "My apologies, maximum occupancy has been filled." She said, without a pause. "Do you know how uncomfortable that futon is?" She blinked the strange flesh-eyes and saw Donna gaping at her. "Oh my stars. Just run, Donna!"

* * *

Donna had felt as if the node was sucking something out of her and then it had just stopped. It had taken her a moment to catch her breath, and then she found herself looking at the face of a rather pretty girl on the node, one who was telling her to run. It took her a moment to realise that this must be the face of the girl who had been controlling the floating ball, and she did the only thing she could - she took off in the direction they had been going, being far more careful of where those nodes were now. After what felt like forever, but was probably closer to ten minutes, the ball caught up with her.

'SORRY ABOUT THAT.'

"Sorry about what?" Donna asked, in surprise. "You saved me!"

The ball bobbed in confusion. 'I SHOULD HAVE KEPT YOU FROM GETTING THAT CLOSE IN THE FIRST PLACE.'

Donna snorted in derision. "It happens. Let's get moving." She paused for a minute. "What's your name, anyway?" It wasn't so strange to think about a ball not having a name, but having seen her face made it different, somehow.

'I THOUGHT YOU'D NEVER ASK. OSWIN."

"Nice to meet you, Oswin." Donna said kindly, even as they both started moving, ending up in yet another rotunda. Donna looked around. "Now what?"

The ball dropped to the ground without answering her, but soon enough, the center of the floor seemed to open, revealing a strange tube of light. As Donna stood, staring at it and wondering if she should run, the ball bounced back to life.

'GRAVITY LIFT.'

Donna waited for something more, and then her jaw came unhinged. "You can't honestly expect me to get in that...that…" She gestured to the things with her arms. "Are you completely mental? What if it fries me?"

As if to answer, the ball bobbed through the blue-green field without so much as a bleep. 'COME ON.' It flashed, impatiently.

Donna sighed and stepped through the field, which felt like a thousand fireflies landing on her skin all at once. "I really ought to get paid for this."


	7. Chapter 7: At Least We're Dreaming

**Author's Note:** End of term is always crazy for me. I'm sorry I didn't upload this earlier! We're almost to the end of this story, so between school and plotting out the sequel it may be spotty as far as updates for a little bit longer. Please, bear with me, and thanks for your reviews and favorites and follows and views!

* * *

Donna and the ball descended down into a place that was far less put together than the upper library. It looked like the basement of an engineering firm she had once temped at. There were wires and grates everywhere, pieces of piping and metal bits strewn all about the floor with computer bits here and there, as though someone had been working on an upgrade and then suddenly stopped without cleaning up after himself. Donna wrinkled her nose, she hated lazy workers and took a confident step off the gravity lift. There was no time for mincing steps and protestations on this adventure.

She didn't expect it to be so brightly lit, and glanced up towards the light, to see what looked almost like a miniature sun, suspended in some kind of support structure that reminded her of pictures of atoms. It was, despite everything she had seen, more than a little awe-inspiring. "What is it?" She breathed quietly, more than a little stunned.

Oswin, or rather, the ball her helper was controlling let out a bleep, and the red words began to scroll across the screen. 'THE MAIN DATA CORE. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF LIVING MINDS TRAPPED INSIDE.' There was a slight pause, as the ball seemed to pan upward, looking at it. 'INCLUDING ME AND THE DOCTOR.'

Donna squared her shoulders and forced herself to look away from the star-like data core. "Right then." She said easily. "Let's go."

The ball drifted up and down, as if nodding, and then the pair of them set off into the innards of the lower level, at least until the ball stopped suddenly, causing Donna to knock into it and send it flying for a moment. "Oi! what's the big id…" She trailed off, and despite herself, let out a shrill sound that despite what others might think, was most definitely not a scream.

There, on the somewhat dirty floor was a twisted, blackened, almost burnt corpse. Apparently the lazy workman she had been assuming wasn't so much lazy as...barbequed. Her stomach lurched uncomfortably and she moved backwards on instinct, not looking where she was going, and not really caring, at least until her back hit something hard and she hear that noise. The , clicking, mechanical noise that she had come to dread. She was standing against a node. Cheerfully, The Doctor's voice informed her 'Donna Noble will be integrated.' Apparently she didn't need to be looking at it, because she felt that strange, pulling like being sucked up by a giant hoover.

* * *

Oswin cursed, and her fingers flew as fast as they could, trying to deactivate the node, slow it down, something. She got threw the protections for the lower level node, though she thought it took her longer than necessary. She had had to find a dormant subroutine, wake it up, and force it to supercede the programming. Speaking in her best 'child-friendly' voice she, pushed herself into the node, hating the frisson of fear that went down her spine. "I don't think so." She reversed the direction of the data stream, and only when Donna had fallen back, crumpled to the floor, but cursing as only Donna seemed to be able to, did she relax, and allow herself to escape the node.

She took a few careful deep breaths, and shaking herself, went to get a glass of water. This being the computer, it was always the right temperature and she had to pull herself together. It had been harder to resist the pull to stay that time. It had been harder to fight that dark, dangerous voice that tried to tell her what to do. She drained her glass and placed it on the table, before returning to her chair and her laptop. She took control of the camera again, reminding herself that the camera was safe.

'Sorry about that, the body took me by surprise.' She apologised.

"Yeah well, me too." Donna grumbled, the voice a second out of sync with the image on her computer, and Oswin instinctually tinkered until it synced back up again. "You keep having to save me."

Oswin chuckled at that. 'Hey, we're a team, you and me.' She typed helpfully.

Donna looked startled, if Oswin could judge by the small picture, but answered anyway. "Yeah, I guess we are. So where to now? Somewhere with fewer corpses, hopefully."

Oswin laughed at that, and led Donna along with the camera, through the forest of servers and computer equipment that the hacker in her would love to get its grubby little fingers on, sticking closer as they got closer and it got darker and colder. The refrigeration in this unit was still working, to keep the main command node comfortable.

She floated over to the control panel that would open the door sealing the main command node and mainframe away from prying eyes. 'Over here.' She typed, cautiously. 'You have to open this and pull the big switch. I'll unlock it from here.'

* * *

Donna waited until the glass case gave a little click as whatever security protocols were in place were disabled by her floating teammate. She knew Oswin was a person, had seen her face on the nodes, after all, heard what she assumed was Oswin's voice, but for some reason she still thought of the floating ball as her strange...friend...or teammate. The glass doors opened easily enough, reminding her of her gran's old china cabinet the way they creaked, and she reached for the large switch. It took more force than she expected to get it to shift from it's off position, but when it did, she heard a satisfying noise and looked up.

What she had thought was a wall panel had been some sort of sliding door. "I guess we're going in there now, huh?" She said, a little amused.

Oswin-ball bleeped in what Donna thought was amusement and floated in the open door. Donna followed easily, glad that the room at least seemed brighter. Or at least until she saw what was in the center of the room. A node.

Not wanting her soul to be hoovered up, she pressed as far away from the node as possible. "Is this some kind of trick?" She asked angrily.

Oswin ball bleeped. 'THIS IS THE MAIN COMMAND NODE. IT'S NOT CONTROLLED LIKE THE OTHERS. IT'S DORMANT. TO FREE EVERYONE WE HAVE TO WAKE IT UP. THIS ONE WON'T HURT YOU.'

Donna cast a suspicious look between the node and the floating ball. "Are you sure about this?"

'IF YOU WANT TO GET EVERYONE OUT, IT'S THE ONLY WAY.'

Donna sighed, and grumbling, repeated herself for what felt like the fiftieth time. "Spaceman is so going to owe me for this."

She gingerly walked toward the node, and felt her jaw drop when it turned to show her the sleeping face of a little girl.

Donna whirled to face the ball, hovering beside her. "Who puts a little girl into a computer!"

Oswin-ball bleeped, sounding sad. 'SHE IS THE COMPUTER. THE MAIN COMMAND NODE. THIS IS HER LIBRARY. BEFORE THE INTELLIGENCE CAME AND PUT HER TO SLEEP, TAKING IT OVER AND SUCKING PEOPLE INTO A VIRTUAL PLAYGROUND.'

Donna made a face. She was not okay with this. "Why would someone do this? She's just a little girl!"

'SHE WAS DYING. SO HER FATHER BUILT THIS PLACE AND PUT HER LIVING MIND INSIDE, SO SHE WOULD NEVER DIE, AND NEVER BE ALONE.'

Donna felt pity for the man. She could never do it, imagining a forever, stuck as a child. It sounded like hell to her, but she could understand the grief that would lead a person to it. Her grandfather had been like that, desperate for any answer when her Gran had died. "So what do we do?" She asked quietly.

Oswin-ball bleeped. 'WE HAVE TO WAKE HER UP.'


End file.
